Method for attaching overlapped members



July 2, 1963 J. CURRY METHOD FOR ATTACHING OVERLAPPED MEMBERS FiledApril 3, 1958 John L. Curry ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,095,644METHOD FOR ATTACHING OVERLAPPED MEMBERS 7 John L. Curry, Fort Worth,Tex., assignor to Rector Well Equipment Company, Inc., Fort Worth, Tex.,a corporation of Texas Filed Apr. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 726,207 5 Claims.(Cl. 29-527) This invention relates to a method and means for attachingoverlapping members and is particularly concerned with the joinder ofoverlapping and interfitted members, one of which is inserted in thebore of the *other, by a metallic ring disposed in coinciding grooves inthe overlapped portions of the joined members, which ring is introducedin molten state and allowed to cool and harden therein to form anintegral connection between themembers.

This method of attaching overlapped and interfit-ted members hasparticular application to the joinder of 7 guide noses, screening noses,float shoes and the like to bore'is invariably crooked andirregular incontour and the weight of the casing imposes extreme impact joltsagainst the nose member, attached to the lower end of the casing as itstrikes such irregular surtaces. Such nose 3,095,644 Patented July 2,1963 2 which has integral parts holding the members against rotation.

A still further object is to provide a connection between ovenlappedportions of cylindrical members which eliminates the need for welding orscrew connections.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent uponreading the detailed specification hereinafter following, and byreferring to the drawing annexed hereto. I

Although the description and illustration of the method and meanshereinafter described is particularly concerned with connection betweena tubular casing section and a screening or guide nose used in wellcementing or treating operations, it will be understood that such ismerely illustrative and is not intended to confine-the use of the methodto the particular disclosure. It will be obvious that such method can beused to join-any two overlapping and interfitting cylindrical elementsand would be advantageous in the joinder of any two overlapped'memberswherein one member is inserted in a bore provided in the other member.

For instance it could be employed to connect two tubular par-ts whereinone part is inserted in the bore of the other, or it could be employedto connect a solid cylindrical member inserted in the bore of a tubularmember or "a recess formed in the end of another solid member.

, In the drawing FIGURE 1 is a sectionalized, elevational view of thelower end of a tubular member, such members are customarily attached tothe lower end'section of easing by means of screws or pins insertedthrough the casing and a telescoped flange on the nose member, or bymeans of welding. Much ditficul-ty has been encountered by reason of thescrews or welding being broken by impact shock. It is often diflicult toweld such shoes to the casing string because of the inaccessibleposition of the joints. In the case of a float shoethe attaching flangethereof is often inserted some distance into the end casing sectionwhere it is not easily accessible for welding or other attachment.

Another difficulty encountered in the attachment of such members to thelower casing section results from the fact that afiter the casing stringis run and cemented in place, it is necessary to drill through the guidenose,

screening nose or'float shoe, in order to open up the producingformation. In many instances the nose member or fioatshoe becomesdisengaged from the casing by reason of the rupture of the screws orwelds holding them "thereto, causing such member to rotate with thedrill bit so that it cannot be easily drilled up.

- The improvement constituting the subject matter of invention providesa secure connection between the guide nose, screening nose or floatshoe, and the lower casing section, so that it is not easily broken byimpact shock I and so that such member will not become disengaged fromthe casing and rotate relative thereto when it is drilled up. It alsoprovides a connection which is easy to apply and uniformly distributedbetween the joined members. It provides a joint which is stronger thaneither of the metallic members whichit joins so that such metallicmembers will break before the joint.

It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide a methodand apparatus for securely connecting overlapping cylindrical memberswhich will more securely hold the members together against longitudinahrbtational or lateral movement with reference to each other.

' as a casing section or a sub to be attached to the lower tubularmember and screening nose after being telescoped and overlapped, andafter holes have been drilled through the side wall ofthe tubular memberto communicate with the-coinciding grooves in the overlapped portions.FIGURE III is across-sectional plan "view taken on the line IIIIII ofFIGURE 11.

FIGURE IV is a cross-sectional view through the nose and tubular memberillustrating the methodof; pouring molten metal through the holes in theside Wall of the tubular member to be distributed in the coincidinggrooves in the nose and tubular section.

FIG URE V is a cross-sectional, elevational view of the ,joined nose andtubular member after the molten, metallic material hasbeenapplied in thecoinciding grooves and has become solidified therein to provide ajoinder thercbetween.

FIGURE V1 is a cross-sectional plan view taken on fthe line VI-VI ofFIGURE- V.

In, the drawing numeral references are employed 'to designate thevarious parts shown, and like numerals designate like parts throughoutthe various figures of the drawing.

The numeral 1 indicates a tubular pipe section which may be attached tothe lower end section of a casof steel.

ing or other pipe string. The member 1 is usually made The numeral 2indicates a guide andscreening nose to be attached tothe lower end ofthe tubular section 1. The screening nose 2 is preferably made ofaluminum alloy or other easily drillable material which :may be drilledup by the drill bit after the casing" string has been run and set bycementing it to the wall of the well bore. v j An annular groove 3 isformed'on the inner side of the lower end of the tubular section 1, andan external annular groove 4 is formed on the outer side of the reducedextension 5 of the screening nose 2. A tapered surface 6 is providedaboutthe lower end of the tubular section 1 which is complementary to atapered'surface 7 onthe guide shoe 2.

The guide and screening shoe 2 includes an outer conical surface 8 whichhas apertures 9 through the wall thereof so that well fluid maycirculate through such apertures from and to the casing to permit thecasing to be floated into a solumn of fluid in the well bore.

After the tubular section 1 and guide nose 2 have been provided with thecoinciding grooves 3 and 4, the reduced extension 5 is press fitted intothe lower end of the tubular section 1 so that the grooves 3 and 4 arein coinciding relationship when the shoulders 6 and 7 are engaged asshown in FIGURE II.

A plurality of holes 10 are then drilled through the Wall of the tubularsection 1, at spaced intervals thereabout, to communicate with thecoinciding grooves 3 and 4. At the same time that holes 10 are drilled,recesses 11 are formed by the drill in the bottom of the groove 4.

After the holes 10 have been drilled and the recesses 11 have been soprovided, the assembled tubular section 1 and shoe 2 are placed upon asuitable jig (not shown) in horizontal position. Molten metal, indicatedat 12, is then poured from a receptacle 13 into a hole 10 which facesupwardly. The molten metal flows downwardly into the lower side of thecoinciding grooves as shown in FIGURE IV. After a quantity of suchmolten metal has been poured through the upwardly facing hole 10 thejoined tubular section 1 and nose 2 are rotated to bring another hole tothe upper side. Stoppers 14 are placed in the holes 10 at the side andon the bottom of the assembly in order to retain the molten metal in thechannel formed by the coinciding grooves 3 and 4. This procedure isrepeated until the coinciding lgrooves 3 and 4 are tilled with moltenmaterial. The molten material is allowed to cool and solidify therebyproviding a metallic ring 15 which is, in effect, integral with thetubular section 1 and shoe 2 forming an integral metallurgical bondbetween these members. When the stoppers 14 are removed the recessesleft thereby may be filled with welding to completely fill the holes, asshown in FIGURE V.

It will be noted that the material of the metal ring 15 2 also flowsintothe recesses 11, providing integral pin connections, indicated at17, between the shoe 2 and the ring 15. The pins 17 support and provideanchors between the ring and the shoe 2 to prevent the shoe frombreaking loose from the ring under torque.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided an integral ring jointbetween the joined members 1 and 2, thereby providing a connection whichis not easily broken and which will positively prevent the shoe 2 frombreaking loose and rotating with reference to the casing section 1, whenit is drilled out.

The molten material 12 should preferably be of aluminum alloy so that itis also easily drillable. However, it will be understood that any typeof molten metallic material could be employed to form the ring 15.Furthermore it is not necessary that the nose 2 be made of aluminumalloy. The joined members may be of any metallic material which wouldintegrally join with the metallic ring when it is cooled and solidified.

I claim:

1. A method of joining overlapped members, at least one of which has ahollow bore, comprising the steps of: Forming an annular groove on theinner side of the hollow bore of one member; forming an annular grooveabout the outer surface of the other member; inserting the second namedmember in the bore of the first named member in position so that thegrooves coincide; forming a plurality of holes at approximately equallyspaced intervals through the wall of the first named member tocommunicate with the grooves; introducing molten metallic materialthrough said holes into the grooves, allowing the molten material tocool and solidify to form an integral metallurgical bond between themembers; and filling the portions of the holes which are not filled withthe molten material with welding material after the m ten material hascooled and solidified.

2. The method of joining a hollow nOSe member of aluminum alloy to atubular aluminum alloy member comprising the steps of forming an annulargroove about the inner side of the tubular member; forming a reducedextension on the hollow nose member; forming an annular groove about thereduced extension; inserting the reduced extension into the tubularmember in position so that the grooves coincide; forming a plurality ofholes spaced at approximately equally spaced intervals through the wallof the tubular member communicating with the grooves; introducing moltenmetal material through the holes into the grooves; and allowing themolten material to cool and solidify to form an integral metallurgicalbond between the tubular member and the nose member.

3. The method of joining a hollow nose member to a tubular membercomprising the steps of forming an annular groove about the inner sideof the tubular member; forming a reduced extension on the hollow nosemember; forming an annular groove about the reduced extension; insertingthe reduced extension with a pressed fit into the tubular member inposition so that the grooves coincide; forming a plurality of holesspaced at approximately equall spaced intervals through the wall of thetubular member communicating with the grooves; introducing molten metalmaterial through the holes into the grooves; and allowing the moltenmaterial to cool and solidify to form an integral metallurgical bondbetween the tubular member and the nose member.

4. The method of joining a hollow nose member to a tubular membercomprising the steps of forming an annular groove about the inner sideof the tubular member; forming a reduced extension on the hollow nosemember; forming an annular groove about the reduced extension; formingcomplementary beveled shoulders on the end of the tubular member and onthe end of the nose member; inserting the reduced extension into thetubular member in position so that the grooves coincide and the beveledshoulders are in contact; forming a plurality of holes at approximatelyequally spaced intervals through the wall of the tubular membercommunicating with the grooves; introducing molten metal materialthrough the holes into the grooves; and allowing the molten material tocool and solidify to form an integral metallurgical bond between thetubular member and the nose member.

5. -A method of joining overlapped members, at least one of which has ahollow bore, comprising the steps of: Forming an annular groove on theinner side of the hollow bore of one member; forming an annular grooveabout the outer surface of the other member; inserting the second namedmember in the bore of the first named member in position so that thegrooves coincide; forming a plurality of holes at approximately equallyspaced intervals through the wall of the first named member tocommunicate with the grooves; introducing molten metallic materialthrough said holes into the grooves; and

- allowing the molten material to cool and solidify to form an integralmetallurgical bond between the members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS123,954 Trumbore Feb. 20, 1872 415,694 Bastian Nov. 26, 1889 758,278Rapp Apr. 26, 1904 1,642,981 Weiss et al. Sept. 20, 1927 1,911,775 Smithet a1 May 30, 1933 2,313,312 Bakewell Mar. 9, 1943 2,335,414 HinrichsNov. 30, 1943 2,440,298 Ronay et al. Apr. 27, 1948 2,450,232 CampbellSept. 28, 1948 2,746,141 Hobrock May 22, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,668Great Britain June 10, 1909

5. A METHOD OF JOINING OVERLAPPED MEMBERS, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH HAS AHOLLOW BORE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING AN ANNULAR GROOVE ON THEINNER SIDE OF THE HOLLOW BORE OF ONE MEMBER; FORMING AN ANNULAR GROOVEABOUT THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE OTHER MEMBER; INSERTING THE SECOND NAMEDMEMBER IN THE BORE OF THE FIRST NAMED MEMBER IN POSITION SO THAT THEGROOVES COINCIDE; FORMING A PLURALITY OF HOLES AT APPROXIMATELY EQUALLYSPACED INTERVALS THROUGH THE WALL OF THE FIRST NAMED MEMBER TO